The Gillard Government

[Ves]

Do you seriously think Swanny uses Springsteen lyrics to formulate policy?

 

[Ves]

It's quite simple really... he is drawing parallels to popular culture to make his policies more fathomable to those of his generation (the same people who grew up with that era of rock music, I mean). There's a big difference between that and basing his policies on the lyrics of said rock artist. His comment about it 'helping him formulate policy' isn't supposed to be taken literally - it's a throwaway phrase. I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill here. It's just a publicity campaign - and it has clearly got the attention it was meant to, since everyone is talking about it. Aren't they on parliamentary break? Probably just giving the media something to write about. I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[Ves]

Happy to help with a quote from the so called story:


So he was responding to a bit of fluff interview on TripleM, hardly the intellectual hub of Australia.
I'd also take an interest in what my daughters were reading. What on earth is wrong with that?
He's not exactly then deciding to set Liberal policy on the basis of what some middle aged woman discovers about her sexuality. For god's sake, Ves. If you are seriously trying to compare the content of Swan's John Button Lecture, a prestigious event attended by Australia's top people, with an off the cuff response to a trivial question about some currently popular bit of memoir or fiction or whatever, you need to have a rethink.

Read my post again... I only really said it made him human (much like our old mate Swanny). Didn't really post an opinion on either because quite frankly I have no problem with either act. I think it's great that they are showing some of their personal lives. Much better than the inhumane robots they usually front up with.

 

[sptrawler]

I love how Bill Shorten spits the dummy, when told his pie will be soft, if microwaved.
Just shows how in touch he is with the rank and file, most of their pies are soft from a "Jiffy truck" what a wan#er.
Get a life Bill, you are a "dick" , grow a set of balls and stand up to Julia

 

[IFocus]

Just because it's never been done before doesn't mean that will happen with this one. I don't think there has ever been such an unwanted tax implemented so deceitfully and which has such a massive potential to hurt our economy.


http://www.facebook.com/TonyAbbottMP

Abbotts position is more political than substance, its a proven election winner to rave about big bad taxes and judging by the contributions to this thread it works perfectly.

The Australian economy has had major utility price rises of more than 50% outside of the carbon tax ....nothing said by Abbott Australia hasn't imploded.

But I know Abbott's just wonderful all those photo opportunities proves it.

 

[IFocus]

Thanks for your honesty.
So what’s the answer to this dilemma, in your opinion?
Nobody in their right mind is going to vote for such a hopelessly incompetent government as Gillard’s mob.
Rudd would be just as bad or worse, as he’s already proven.
Abbot is in your opinion a dangerous bastard to put into power. A change of leadership in the conservatives wouldn't mean a change in policies.
The Greens are an extremist party whose policies would decimate the Australian economy.

So where does that leave us? Who gets your vote at the next election?

Its really simple....its all just politics which means its no place to go looking for a meaningful moral compass.

Australia will get Abbott, I will get endless threads started about what a shameful PM / government we have, Labor will rebuild, Abbott may blunder with non work choices mark II (payback to the right for winning by 1 vote) and Malcolm will become PM.

 

[bunyip]

+2 but surely people are not that dumb

I wouldn’t bet on it – there were a hell of a lot of dumb people last time who, after having decided to vote Rudd & Co out of office, suddenly changed their minds and decided that Labor were worth another go under their new leader, Gillard.
Many working class people still have the underlying delusion that Labor is the party that looks after the workers. No doubt this delusion stems from the fact that Labor had its origins in the shearers strike in QLD in the late 1800’s, resulting in a meeting under a tree in Barcaldine in central western Queensland. A new political party was spawned at that meeting, its aim being to look after the interests of working people.
The tree has now been immortalized as ‘the tree of knowledge – birthplace of the Australian Labor Party’.

Labor did look after workers in its early stages. But over the years the party has lost its way, not least because it’s been taken over by various union stooges who are stupid enough to think that the way to look after the workers is to rip money out of business people.
Modern day working people have become more proficient at seeing through the blatant scam that Labor is there to look after workers’ interests. Yet many of them would still like to believe that Labor is the workers party, if if only there was a hint that it might be true. That hint might just be provided by the likes of former ACTU stooge Bill Shorten – he’s still seen as ‘a good bloke’ by many workers, and it’s possible he could reignite the fallacy that Labor is the party for working people.
After seeing the sudden turnaround in voter sentiment after Gillard replaced Rudd, nothing would surprise me if there was another ALP leadership change.

The ‘tree of knowledge’ is still there in the main street of Barcaldine, but now it’s a dead stump as a result of being poisoned some years ago.
I’ll be driving through Barcaldine in the next few days. They have a modern public toilet block there, but such is my contempt for the Australian Labor Party that I just might relieve myself against the ‘tree of knowledge instead’.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_Knowledge_(Australia)

 

[noco]

Abbotts position is more political than substance, its a proven election winner to rave about big bad taxes and judging by the contributions to this thread it works perfectly.

The Australian economy has had major utility price rises of more than 50% outside of the carbon tax ....nothing said by Abbott Australia hasn't imploded.

But I know Abbott's just wonderful all those photo opportunities proves it.

With great respect IFocus, I would say there is more to Abbott raving on about the big new taxes.

The majority of voters do not like Prime Ministers who lie, they do not like the 30 or 40 hare brain schemes that have failed and cost billions of dollars, they do not like the way Gillard and Swan are hounding big business who employe thousands of workers, they do not like the way the Gillard Government has wasted billions of dollars on sweetners just to stay in office and most of that sweetner has been put into the pokies.

Unemployment is rising in Australia while it is becoming lower in the USA. Our productivity is second lowest out of 52 developed countries. Hundreds of business are going broke and hundreds of workers are being laid off every week.

Our border protection has been shot to pieces and Gillard has broken the record by allowing the most number of illegal immigrants entering the country in one month. Bowen was allowing for 400 per month and some 1600 have entered Australia in July 2012 alone.

Another factor is the influence of the Greens. Gillard has given into every piece of legislation put foward by the Greens just to stay in power. The Greens were influential in causing Gillard to lie about the Carbon dioxide tax. Without the Greens, we would now be free of this big new tax, a tax that has and will continue to be passed on to you and me in one form or another and it will be exploited by some unscrupulous business. If the Labor had wanted to increase taxes, it have been better to have increased the GST to 12.5% where buyers would know exactly what tax they would be paying.

So, I think you would have to agree Abbott's raving on about big new taxes is only a very small % attributed to the poor polling of Labor's primary vote.

 

[DB008]

From ABC.net

Australia leading global charge on mining returns

Resource nationalism is the term being used to describe governments wanting a greater return from mining companies – by way of taxes, royalties or other means - in exchange for their right to mine.

Leading the charge on resource nationalism, according to the global mining industry, is resource-rich Australia.

And the industry blames the Australian Government for encouraging the trend.

According to Ernst and Young's most recent survey of global mining, resource nationalism is regarded as the number one risk for the resources sector in 2012.

"You don't own the minerals," Prime Minister Julia Gillard told miners at the Minerals Council of Australia annual dinner in May.

"I don't own the minerals, governments only sell you the right to mine the resource. A resource we hold in trust for a sovereign people. They own it and they deserve their share."

One mining executive told the Australian Financial Review the mining executives were "dumbstruck" by Ms Gillard's comments.

"She told us this is Australia and it has a Labor government, that it is a party of redistribution, so suck it up," the executive said.

There is also concern that Australia is exporting Labor's redistribution ideology on natural resources to other countries.

A common response by the mining industry to the introduction of the Mineral Resources Rent Tax (MRRT) was that companies would leave Australia to invest in other countries especially in Africa, like Ghana, Guinea, South Africa and Liberia.

But now Africa is taking lessons from Australia in what is called "mining governance".

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-04/australia-leads-global-charge-on-mining-returns/4176752

 

[joea]

I wouldn’t bet on it – there were a hell of a lot of dumb people last time who, after having decided to vote Rudd & Co out of office, suddenly changed their minds and decided that Labor were worth another go under their new leader, Gillard.

[/url]

Well I cannot remember any of the c**p about Gillard being put forward by the media prior to and during
the "back stabbing of Rudd".
One would assume the media had the opportunity to find it.
Or is it all about the Craig Thompson fiasco, that set the media off on a witch hunt??
I cannot remember any media campaigns against Rudd, because he had no policy's to campaign with.
It was mentioned once at 5.30am on election day 2007 by David Speers on sky.
No what is was about, "Howard out"(getting boring), "Labor in" (see if they stuff up)??

Well no, it's all about "bad news sells".
When does "good news sell in Australia"??


What most of the posters on this forum(and any other for that matter), do not realize is that the media
is playing "mind games with you".
That what sells papers and gets TV ratings up.
And what do we watch between the "crap", bloody commercials???

Gillad is "CORRECT". WHY PRINT CRAP???
Well Julia, "crap" sells, and at the moment you are in the "spotlight"!!

If the coalition get into government, the shoe will be on the other foot, and the witch hunt will be through the ranks of the coalition.
When did we see an article on "Clive Palmer makes 200 million profit and spends 10 million on staff".
Well there was one!!
When was there an article that continued to run for days on Twiggy Forrest and the employment he created??

They day the media apply some "integrity" to their stories, then that's the day Australia will start to be
a better place!!!!!
Well I feel better now! Will go start my day!!

joea

 

[IFocus]

With great respect IFocus, I would say there is more to Abbott raving on about the big new taxes.

If there is its a secret

The majority of voters do not like Prime Ministers who lie

Gillard broke a commitment / promise please look up the definition of the word lie, for a group of spelling grammar junkies you lot take the cake for swallowing Abbott's lying proposition.

Unemployment is rising in Australia while it is becoming lower in the USA.

You want the USA unemployment position? Are you praising Obama?

Another factor is the influence of the Greens. Gillard has given into every piece of legislation put foward by the Greens just to stay in power.

Labor need the greens to pass legislation not to stay in power

The Greens were influential in causing Gillard to lie about the Carbon dioxide tax.

Please look up the meaning of lie.

Without the Greens, we would now be free of this big new tax, a tax that has and will continue to be passed on to you and me in one form or another and it will be exploited by some unscrupulous business. If the Labor had wanted to increase taxes, it have been better to have increased the GST to 12.5% where buyers would know exactly what tax they would be paying.

As DR has pointed out the GST needs its base broadening before any increases as its current form has severe structural problems. Cannot see this being addressed for a generation or two as politic suicide for either side.

So, I think you would have to agree Abbott's raving on about big new taxes is only a very small % attributed to the poor polling of Labor's primary vote.

I think this group of Labor politicians are politically inept to let Abbott run the conversation such has he done on 1/2 truths and outright fraudulent claims and promisers.

 

[drsmith]

Please look up the meaning of lie.

This is what will stick to voters minds come election time.

 

[sails]

This is what will stick to voters minds come election time.

And after a week of hearing that on the TV just days before the election, Gillard revealed this:

In an election-eve interview with The Australian, the Prime Minister revealed she would view victory tomorrow as a mandate for a carbon price, provided the community was ready for this step.

That makes the video above an even bigger lie, imo. It would seem she had no intention of keeping her election commitment to the people of no carbon tax. She was going to price carbon anyway if she became PM. It seems the greens only gave her control of both houses to pass HER unwanted tax.

Now Abbott needs control of both houses to unravel the damage she has done, imo.

 

[Ves]

This is what will stick to voters minds come election time.

You do realise that that clip of Gillard is cut off mid-sentence right?

Absolutely hilarious that people are still posting something that has been taken completely out of context.

 

[Ves]

Actually I am fairly sure that the day before the election she said in an interview that if elected she aspired to legislating a fixed priced mechanism or a carbon reduction scheme. Hadn't this been Labour Policy since 2007, can someone tell me where my misunderstanding on this issue is?

 

[Miss Hale]

I love how Bill Shorten spits the dummy, when told his pie will be soft, if microwaved.
Just shows how in touch he is with the rank and file, most of their pies are soft from a "Jiffy truck" what a wan#er.
Get a life Bill, you are a "dick" , grow a set of balls and stand up to Julia

Interesting the way this was treated on 'Insiders' this morning, more or less as a joke at the end of the show. Imagine if Tony Abbott had done something like this, it would be headine news and ther would be claims that he is unfit to be PM

I was really surprised with the way Shorten reacted though. Regardless of the fact that he was just popping in to get a pie for his son before a footy match, being a politician unfortunately means you can be approached at any time by members of the public who wish to discuss or comment on political matters, it's just part of the job. If he was in a hurry and really didn't have time to engage in political debate he could have still behaved much more graciously.

 

[sails]

Actually I am fairly sure that the day before the election she said in an interview that if elected she aspired to legislating a fixed priced mechanism or a carbon reduction scheme. Hadn't this been Labour Policy since 2007, can someone tell me where my misunderstanding on this issue is?

Ves - if that is so, then please explain to me why Gillard AND Swan stated NO CARBON TAX repeatedly days before the election if they intended to price carbon by any mechanism and did not mean a word they said? Gillard's no carbon tax ads gave the impression they were shelving their carbon pricing policies - at least for this term.

Many people don't read the fine print on political sites. They take the publicised ads to represent each party's major policies. I wonder if Gillard would have even got 72 seats if she had been honest about her plans to price carbon before the election instead of broadcasting something she clearly didn't mean at all?

Surely, it's not that hard to see what you are missing? The majority of voters can see it very clearly...

 

[drsmith]

You do realise that that clip of Gillard is cut off mid-sentence right?

Absolutely hilarious that people are still posting something that has been taken completely out of context.

No carbon tax under a government I lead and its introduction being described as hysterical nonsense by Wayne Swan.

The government's context was clearly one it did not want the electorate at large to understand prior to the election.

 

[moXJO]

You do realise that that clip of Gillard is cut off mid-sentence right?

Absolutely hilarious that people are still posting something that has been taken completely out of context.

Which part of "no carbon tax" was out of context. She then back peddled once it came in with regards to her above speech.

 

[moXJO]

Abbotts position is more political than substance, its a proven election winner to rave about big bad taxes and judging by the contributions to this thread it works perfectly.

The Australian economy has had major utility price rises of more than 50% outside of the carbon tax ....nothing said by Abbott Australia hasn't imploded.

But I know Abbott's just wonderful all those photo opportunities proves it.

I am having a very hard time looking at Abbott as a credible leader.